What, Postal Service says it’s immune from local traffic laws

Think of it as "Diplomatic Immunity."

Delivering the mail used to be VERY important. Almost all business was conducted either in person or through the mail. Almost all non-classified government communications were conducted through the mail. So it made sense to never hold up the mail, hence mail carriers were exempt from most traffic laws. But, like I said, "Things have changed!"

A USPS truck stopped directly behind my neighbor as she was backing out. After a passing truck cleared, my neighbor backed into the mail carrier truck. Our city cop determined that the cause of the accident was illegal parking and wrote that USPS was at fault, but he did not issue a citation to the USPS driver.
USPS agent refused to pay the claim. He cited government immunity. The local insurance paid for my neighbor's car repair. Several weeks later, USPS reversed their decision and paid the claim.

Sounds like a "Returned to Sender" situation. Cue Elvis.

NY City firefighters must follow their book of regulations. One section provides that if any accident happens while responding to an alarm, a summons to Criminal Court will be served to the other driver for "failure to yield the right of way." The only exception? Postal vehicles!

dobs108

hands down, my favorite part of the article is “My last and favorite example is of the USPS truck driver delivering mail while naked,” Hittner wrote. “He was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior.”

A few years back a friend was legally parked and not even in the vehicle in Pittsburgh when a city vehicle hit his car. He was charged with being at fault for the accident and had to pay for all damages.

I don't quite understand the law myself nor have I read it, but apparently city vehicles are immune and he was at fault for his vehicle just being somewhere that a city vehicle could hit it. In short, if wasn't there, the city vehicle would never have hit him!

Like I said, I haven't read the law but he was furious, and an attorney confirmed, and he paid.

At least that is what I was told by my delivery person. Whether it is true or not I am not sure. I was told that they are periodically followed by their supervisors.

I am not giving excuses for them. I believe they should obey the laws just like everyone else. The drivers should be held accountable.

They just need to bring the horse back.

One plop at a time!

Nuvi1300WTGPS

Reading this article is like watching a football game in which you want both sides to lose.

About two weeks ago, I found a piece of paper in the street by my home that was a list of all the routes my carrier was responsible for that day. It was in spreadsheet form listing the first address on each leg of the route and the time that leg was expected to started and completed. That was proof enough to me that they have to complete each leg of their route within a specified period of time.

I prefer to think of it as special treatment.

Perhaps the real solution will be sequestration in which the Postal Service will have to fire or put on unpaid leave many van drivers!

Government, at all levels, is really becoming oppresive in the US. Today I had someone at Social Security tell me I didn't need to see the explanation of why my Medicare benefits went up substantially.

Fred

The federal government in general cannot be sued. Privatized organizations for the most part enjoy the same protections.

Amusing article, thanks for posting.

American Traffic Solutions (ATS) having issues earning their profits, but I suspect the drivers will eventually be liable for the fines.

On the other hand, I'm going search eBay for some USPS vehicle graphics...

Let me know if you locate any!

At least that's what I was taught as a LITTLE kid.

When I was around 5 years old, in 1959 or so, I was taught that Post Office vehicles are NEVER at fault. Even if one were traveling at 90 MPH and caused an accident, it was always the other drivers' fault.

I guess it's kinda like trying to fight City Hall -- you just can't do it.

I think I want to be postman!!!

UPS, FedX, DHL, etc. now exist!

It is true. I was working at condominium association last year, and one day the regular letter carrier was being followed around by a postal supervisor in a USPS mini van. The supervisor had a laptop computer, and it was quite obvious she was conducting a motion and time study on the letter carrier.

Back when I was a kid in the 1970's I was good friends with our letter carrier (he's retired but still keep in touch with him and am friends on Facebook). When he was doing the route normally he would walk across lawns and cut through backyards to do his route. When they were doing occasional audits of his route, he walked up and down every walkway and sidewalk. There was no incentive to be efficient other than to pile even more work on him.

When I was a kid in the 60's, my dad & uncle were letter carriers. They were not supposed to walk across people's yards, but they did and no one really cared. However, when watched, they did everything by the book.

The Postal Service could not afford the fines for traffic violations!!!

The Postal Service is not efficiently operated and the agency continues to lose money. The Unions create turmoil and attribute the inefficient operations of the Postal Service. In addition, the taxpayers are paying for this burden. In the real world, the Postal Service would be out of business.

The local bus system around here has declared their right-of-way. I wouldn't be surprised if the quasi-government entity gains the right to run red lights.

It seems some animals are more equal than the rest of us.

Utah UTA is going for the same thing, cars will have to yield to buses once the law passes.

The constitutionality of a ticket issued by a machine and sent by mail as opposed to being personally served by a duly sworn officer of the law is suspect at best. I'm afraid I'd have to tell ATS to bury their tickets very deeply someplace else.

--

it's the dog's fault

it was a Federal Crime to detain the mail. This brings up a question posed during my Drivers Ed class way back in the 80's

You're at a 4 way intersection facing north.

There's a squad car coming up behind you lights and siren.

From the West is a Fire Engine, also lights and sirens.

From the East is an Ambulance, Lights and Sirens.

From the North is a Mail Truck...

Which vehicle has right of way?

The Mail Truck. (Even though I don't know many carriers that would hinder emergency vehicles)

The Postal Service (at least the USPS) is not funded by tax dollars.

--Lee

Per Wikipedia, "According to an official report on November 15, 2012, the U.S. Postal Service ended its 2012 fiscal year $15.9 billion in the hole."

So who does fund the USPS? They have been losing billions of dollars a year for a number of years - where do these funds come from?

Well, "Per Wikipedia", "The USPS has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters."

Cheers,
--Lee

The wiki article did not answer my question, that's why I posted it here.

From what I've heard on the TV evening news and maybe some mainstream web sites, it seems that the USPS's main problem is funding the postal employees' retirement system.

If correct, then the USPS ma be fully able to pay for the distribution of mail, pay employees' salaries, etc., while "losing money" annually due to underfunding their retirement system.

Again, this is all just based on what I think I've heard and read, but I think I've also learned that for some reason (probably a Congressional requirement), the USPS is required to fund their employees' retirement system to an extent beyond what other businesses do--and if other businesses had the same requirement, they'd be in trouble as well.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the situation can pipe in next.

[Personally, I'm apparently in the minority of US citizens in that I will truly miss Saturday delivery of mail starting late this summer--in part due to one less day for Netflix to send me a DVD or Blu-ray disk ]

I remember reading that the only vehicle allowed to pass through a red signal is a PO vehicle, not even police or fire is afforded that in writing. Even with sirens on they have to stop before proceeding, at least the way it was written years ago.

http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20130204/DEPARTMENTS02/3...

Quoting a useful quote:

And some good hyperbole from ATS (this is also in the original article, extracted from the attorney's letter to USPS):

I have read in a generally reliable source that Congress has mandated that the Post Office fund the retirement health insurance for employees for the next 70 years. Think of the absurdity. The Post Office is in trouble for funding the retirement of employees that have not yet been born.